UC Santa Barbara

Known as the patron saint of the environmental movement—and the famously secluded hermit of Walden Pond—the myth of Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) often misses the complex man behind the legend.

Scholars affiliated with The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau have been working for years to produce complete, accurate editions of Thoreau’s writings for publication, his correspondence and his journal.

Founded in 1966 with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, and based at the UC Santa Barbara Library, the Thoreau Edition recently marked a major milestone with the publication of The Correspondence of Henry D. Thoreau: Volume 3: 1857–1862.

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UCSB’s Thoreau Edition publishes final volume of Henry David Thoreau’s correspondence Founded in 1966 with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and based at the UC Santa Barbara Library, the Thoreau Edition...

Commencement season is here! At , more than 6,700 students—a combination of both undergraduate and graduate—have declared their candidacy to earn degrees in 2026. And they’ll all be honored across 11 official events over eight days.

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professor Dorit Hanein has been elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows for her leadership in advancing cryo-imaging techniques.

Her work allows scientists to see cells in 3D—close to how they exist in real life—and observe the finer details of their molecular structures.

“Being part of AIMBE is not only a recognition, but also an opportunity to contribute to a broader mission, advocating for science and for the role of biomedical engineering in society,” Hanein said.

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Professor Dorit Hanein recognized for pioneering high resolution cryo-imaging technologies She was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows for her leadership in developing new approaches...

researchers have found that the number of roads out of a community is connected to the amount of wildfire fatalities, but only up to six exits. Nearly 17.7 million people live in communities below this six-road threshold.

"That should be a wake-up call—not just for California, but for every state that thinks wildfire isn't their problem yet."

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Six roads to safety: New study finds a critical threshold for wildfire survival Researchers find that a coomunity's wildfire safety rests largely on the number of roads available for people to evacuate safely

Following the inauguration of UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Dennis Assanis, the campus hosted an academic symposium that highlighted breakthroughs and innovations by researchers across disciplines.

Speakers included Materials Research Lab Director Ram Seshadri, resource economist Christopher Costello, chemical engineer Michelle O’Malley, physics professor and Eddleman Quantum Institute Director David Weld, Chicana and Chicano Studies department chair Dolores Inés Casillas, English professor Alan Liu, cell biologist Denise Montell, and Professor of School Psychology and Graduate Division Dean Janine Jones.

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's Victoria Houser examines purity culture in a new edited collection of essays.

Contributors explore how high-control religious environments impacted experiences navigating sexuality, gender, race, disability, and bodily autonomy.

"One of the big takeaways is that we want our readers to feel seen and understood and heard," Houser said. "These experiences were not niche. They were really far more widespread than most people even know."

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New collection examines the lasting effects of purity culture Through critical autoethnography and personal narrative, the collection reframes religious trauma not only as a theological or psychological issue,...

UC Santa Barbara physics professor David Weld has been selected for Caltech’s 2026 National Brown Investigator Awards 🏆

An atomic physicist who studies quantum dynamical phenomena using ultracold quantum degenerate gases, Weld will receive up to $2 million over five years.

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Atomic physicist David Weld selected for 2026 National Brown Investigator Award UCSB atomic physicist David Weld is one of the 2026 National Brown Investigators

California dignitaries and scholars from across the country filled the Lobero Theatre on May 27 for the inauguration of UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Dennis Assanis.

The ceremony included elected officials, the University of California Board of Regents, student and staff leaders, and members of UCSB’s Academic Senate and Assanis’s executive leadership team, plus friends and colleagues.

"Let me be very clear—our commitment to inclusive excellence will play a key role in making everything we do at UC Santa Barbara possible," Assanis said to a round of applause during his address.

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In an occasion not seen in the community for more than three decades, UC Santa Barbara Chancellor Dennis Assanis will be formally inaugurated beginning at 10 a.m. today, May 27. Tune in to the livestream: https://ow.ly/imZg50Z4vYW

Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Chancellor Assanis earned his bachelor’s degree in Marine Engineering from Newcastle University in England. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he earned three master’s degrees—Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Management—and a Ph.D. in Power and Propulsion.

Assanis is the university’s sixth chancellor and its first new leader in 31 years. As chancellor of UC Santa Barbara, Dr. Assanis is responsible for shaping the university’s long-term strategy and guiding the university in its teaching, research and service mission.